Much of the focus of these past few days has been on the escalated Israeli assault of the Palestinians on the Gaza Strip. In the past three days, over 300 people killed and hundreds more wounded. Is this right of them to do that? Whose side are you on? What do the people of America think about this conflict?

News and TV reports say that the U.S. president-elect Barack Obama has refused to get drawn into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obama has not given us any indication of hist stance on this issue, but implementing a peace plan will be a priority in his administration.

Although, to his credit, he did say, "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."

But now the interesting thing is that people all over the world -- including many Americans -- blame Israel, and are angry at them for the deaths that occurred as a result of this conflict. On so many TV newscasts, blogs and articles, Americans are throwing their opinions out there -- and almost all of them seem to be "pro-peace" and "anti-Israel."

Which absolutely blows my mind. Why? Because of two reasons:

1) I am in complete agreement with Obama's statement up above. The Palestinians have been continuously firing rockets into Israel. Sure, they had a shaky peace agreement for the past six months, but as soon as that ended on December 19th, the Palestinians started it back up again. They didn't do enough to declare an all-out war, but they bullied. They terrorized. They had no basis behind the senseless rocket firings, and were simply provoking. Now I don't know about you, but if a couple of bullies were messing with my family over and over and over... how much do you think it would take me to finally stand up and say, "Hey! Enough already!" And if the bullies didn't stop, what would you expect me to do??? Shrug, sit back, and hold up a peace sign? At some point, you put it to a stop. Yes, war is ugly. Yes, fatalities and wounded citizens are an awful, horrific result to violent conflict. But wars have been going on forever, and they will continue to happen until the very end of days. It's one thing to have one or two bullies beating up your kid. But when you have a whole country beating up your kids, it's a different story. And sometimes, the only way to resolve the conflict (especially when peace treaties haven't worked) is to show your strength and retaliate.

2) Conflict in this region is Biblical, and we should always take the side of Israel. The Jews and the land of Israel is God's -- the God of Abraham, David and Jesus Christ. Not the god of Mohammad.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

"I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

The Jews are God's people. The descendants of David -- most especially Jesus Christ -- are God's. There is much prophecy around the people of Israel and the land on which it rests. After the Rapture of the Christian church, the entire focus is on the Jews and Israel. Past Scripture... present day faith... and future prophecy all focuses on two things: Christ with his faithful (the Church) and the Jews in the land of Israel.

Say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all; neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them. They shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children's children, forever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. My tent also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The nations shall know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore. (Ezekiel 37:21-28)

For I don't desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won't be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written,

"There will come out of Zion the Deliverer,
and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
This is my covenant to them,
When I will take away their sins."

Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:25-29)

Supporting Israel does not mean giving absolute approval of and for everything that they do. Israel is by no means perfect. However, we should always lift Israel up in our prayers, recognizing that the will of God is at work and the time-clock of prophecy is ticking.

And as a final thought, it's almost impossible to stay neutral and not take sides. Truly, to not have any feeling about the conflict whatsoever is really tough. And if you're not on the side of Israel, then you're on the side of the Palestinians. The Palestinians do a good job of extracting sympathy from much of the world (especially Americans). They insist that all of the land is theirs, and for years fought for the right to Jerusalem. The Israelis have always felt that the land was theirs. It's all about land in this conflict. And so why do we Christians support the land as Israel's... and as God's?

Let me give you a little definition of Palestine from Wikipedia: In the Biblical account, the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah ruled from Jerusalem a vast territory extending far west and north of Palestine for some 120 years. Archaeological evidence for this period is very rare, however, and its implications much disputed.

The Hebrew Bible calls the region Canaan (Numbers 34:1–12), while the part of it occupied by Israelites is designated Israel (Yisrael). The name "Land of the Hebrews" (ארץ העברים, Eretz Ha-Ivrim) is also found, as well as several poetical names: "land flowing with milk and honey", "land that [God] swore to your fathers to assign to you", "Holy Land", "Land of the Lord", and the "Promised Land".

The Land of Canaan is given a precise description in (Numbers 34:1) as including all of Lebanon, as well (Joshua 13:5). The wide area appears to have been the home of several small nations such as the Canaanites, Hebrews, Hittites, Amorrhites, Pherezites, Hevites and Jebusites.

According to Hebrew tradition, the land of Canaan is part of the land given to the descendants of Abraham, which extends from the Nile to the Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18). This land is said to include an area called Aram Naharaim, which includes Ur Kasdim in modern Turkey, where Abraham's father was born.

In Exodus 13:17, "And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt."

The events of the Four Gospels of the Christian Bible take place almost entirely in this country, which in Christian tradition thereafter became known as The Holy Land.

Now, let's read on: Judea or Judæa is the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel, an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank (itself partly under Palestinian Authority administration and Israeli military rule).

The name Judea is a Greek and Roman adaptation of the name "Judah", which originally encompassed the territory of the Israelite tribe of that name and later of the ancient Kingdom of Judah. The area was the site of the Hasmonean Kingdom and the later Kingdom of Judah, a client kingdom of the Roman Empire. In modern times, the name "Yehudah" may be used by Hebrew speakers to refer to a large southern section of Israel and the West Bank, or in the combined term Judea and Samaria to refer specifically to the West Bank area south of Jerusalem.

The interesting thing about it all is that the Muslims claim this region to be theirs. Again, according to Wiki, the Qur'an mentions the term الأرض المقدسة (Al-Ard Al-Muqaddasah, English: "Holy Land") is mentioned at least seven times, once when Moses proclaims to the Children of Israel: "O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin." (Surah 5:21)

Why is that interesting? Because Mohammad, who was the prophet and founder of Islam, was born around 570 A.D. At that time, many people of the region still worshiped many gods despite the teachings of Christ (think Egyptians with their multiple gods). As he grew up, he became dissatisfied with polytheism and came to believe in one God, Allah. He apparently began to have religious visions around age 40. During these visions, Muhammad would receive "messages" or "revelations" from Allah. He would memorize them and teach them to his followers. These visions are now recorded in the Qur'an (or Koran). Muhammad continued to receive these visions and messages until his death in 632 A.D.

That's 600 years after the death of Christ. And Islam didn't really catch on right away. So really, the religion of "Islam" began rising in popularity more than a half a millennium after Christ. That's long after the Kingdom of Judah had been declared for the Jews. And long after God promised many things for the descendants of David who lived there. And most importantly, it was almost 700 years after the son of God came down and died on the cross for our sins.

And yet, what many fail to realize is that Islam came to be long after the Bible predicted that many "false prophets" would come and deceive people.

And for the millions and millions of Muslims in this world who still follow that false prophet and who are continuously terrorizing the people of King David (and who are continuously trying to take their land)... I only have one thing to say:

We who follow Christ and read the Holy Scriptures KNOW how this is going to end.

Please pray for Israel.